The Lake Charles/Southwest Louisiana Convention & Visitors Bureau (CVB) announced a $1 million contribution over 4 years to the building campaign for the National Hurricane Museum & Science Center (NHMSC).

The project was originally conceived as the Hurricane Audrey Museum in a partnership between the Creole Nature Trail All-American Road (CNTAAR) and the CVB. After the hurricanes of 2005 and 2008, including Katrina, Rita and Ike, the project became national in scope to interpret the interconnected story of weather, water and the wetlands as well as to serve as a forum to disseminate world-class scientific research.

As the NHMSC project gained momentum, the CVB and CNTAAR worked to establish an entity to manage the larger scale of the project. Subsequently, the NHMSC board of directors was formed.

“The board of the NHMSC is encouraged everyday by the outpouring of excitement and support for the National Hurricane Museum & Science Center. Generous contributions like this bring us ever closer to opening the doors of this remarkable center which will attract people from all around the world to Southwest Louisiana,” said Gray Stream, chairman of the NHMSC board of directors.

“The CVB is pleased to support this incredible, national tourism opportunity,” said Shelley Johnson, Executive Director. “When a hurricane makes landfall in a major energy center, such as Southwest Louisiana, the entire nation feels the impact. The NHMSC will educate visitors from around the nation and world in an interactive and memorable way. This attraction will be a beacon along the lakefront for those traveling Interstate 10 and a major boost to our tourism economy,” said Shelley Johnson, executive director of the CVB.

The mission of the Lake Charles/Southwest Louisiana Convention & Visitors Bureau is to provide leadership in initiating and coordinating the worldwide marketing of Calcasieu Parish as a highly desirable leisure and convention destination; to solicit and service convention and other group-related business; and to engage in visitors promotions which generate overnight stays in Southwest Louisiana.